I made a mistake when I wrote and posted this lackluster review on my blog, November 13, 2005."...the keepers are coming."Gil Stewart's quiet life changes forever when he witnesses a horrible accident on the freeway. An elderly man chases his hat into traffic and is struck by a minivan. Gil notices two other things, the man was being watched by two angry dogs from the side of the road and he mouthed "Hello, Gil" just before being run over.Gil then returns home to find a very sick dog on his lawn. He also receives a package full of bittersweet memories and a call from the group home where his Down's syndrome nephew lives. It seems that Gil's nephew has gone missing.What Gil does not know is that all these occurrences are connected to a horrifying event in his past. Something he would understand if he would only allow himself to remember that which he has forced himself to forget. But remember he must, because the Keepers are coming.I enjoyed Gary A. Braunbeck's novel In Silent Graves, but his sophomore effort Keepers left me a little cold. While it contains many a disturbing scene, the book pretty much follows the plot structure of Graves a bit too closely for my taste. Both books feature a narrator that, after experiencing a traumatic moment, finds himself on a phantasmagorical journey into a nightmare that turns out to be something quite different than he had originally believed it to be. In Silent Graves focused on abused and neglected children, while Keepers is, for the most part, focused on abused and neglected animals. For me, reading Keepers was akin to simply reading In Silent Graves all over again. Not something I had been planning to do so soon after reading it just last year. To use a music metaphor (one I will probably mangle horribly, for which I apologize in advance), some writers are like jazz musicians. They take themes and twist and twirl them around and around in countless unique variations. Others are like a rock band that only seems to know three cords. While they can play the hell out of those three cords, it is still only three cords. At this point it seems that Gary A. Braunbeck seems to know only three thematic cords. He can play them artfully and wring some real emotional impact from them, but they are still only three cords. I hope he learns some more for his third novel.Now, back to September 13, 2013.My opinion today is quite different than it was back then, because the novel's images, events, and characters still haunt me, to this very day. Eight years later I now consider Keepers to be a genre classic, essential reading for anyone with a taste for artfully written dark fantasy.
Review copyGary A. Braunbeck is the author of 19 books and nearly 200 of his short stories have appeared in various publications. Born in Newark, Ohio; the city that serves as the model for the fictitious Cedar Hill in many of his stories. His fiction has received numerous awards, including the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction in 2003 for "Duty" and in 2005 for "We Now Pause for Station Identification"; his collection Destinations Unknown won a Stoker in 2006. His novella "Kiss of the Mudman" received the International Horror Guild Award for Long Fiction in 2005.When first published, Keepers, was nominated for a 2005 Bram Stoker Award for "Superior Achievement in a Novel."“The Keepers are coming…” The last words of a man who died in the middle of a highway through Cedar Hill, Ohio, still echo in Gil Stewart’s ears when he discovers a dying dog in his front yard. At the same moment a package arrives on his doorstep. A package holding hope that a past young love might not be lost after all."Anytime I get to visit Braunbeck's Cedar Hill, I know I'm in for a treat. This story is certainly no exception.I found myself smitten with Beth, then there's a truly delightful octogenarian in Marty Weis. More than once I found myself just smiling at the interaction between Marty and Beth's beau. One such interaction..."Pot. Kettle. Black. Fill in the blanks." "Me. Go. Bring women and dogs." "Here. Me. Wait. Air-conditioning. Bring adverbs when you return."Keepers is not all fun and games. By the end of the story I'd had my heart yanked out more than once. Some folks have found this work to be confusing and there were points where I thought that myself, but by the end of the tale it was like someone threw a light switch and suddenly chased away the darkness.More of an epic fantasy/love story than horror, Keepers is, without a doubt, my most satisfying read of 2015.Before I wrap things up, I'd like to acknowledge the cover for this new version of Keepers from Alerim at 99designs.com. Once you've read the book, you'll see how the artwork fully captures the story.First published in 2005, this new, author's preferred version is available now in a wide variety of formats and is published by Journalstone.My highest recommendation.
What do You think about Keepers (2015)?
When I chose Keepers, I was not sure what to expect from the book after reading the summary, only knew it had something to with animals. But what the author came up with was truly original and surprising. While I was not always satisfied with the plot, which more than once was confusing like hell, the author did a great job at character building. Gil, Beth, Mabel, Marty - they all became so vivid in my imagination it was magic. I also love the author's writing style, making even slower passages (yes, there are some of these as well) a pleasure to go through.While the ending finally shed some light on my piling questions, they also stole some of the magic from the story. A truly outstanding novel from a remarkable writer I will definitely keep an eye on.(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
—Elke
A Keeper Another pretty good read from Braunbeck. He really knows how to finish unlike a lot of other horror writers. This time we have a rectifying to the imbalance between the human and the animal world. It seems that man was not really meant to dominate animals on earth. That's why there are a lot more animals than men. Well how are we going to correct this mess and what part is our intrepid hero Gil going to play in it? The Keepers will get it straight but who or what are they? And what happened to Gil's girlfriend?Like "In Silent Graves" Braunbeck is not afraid to go for the spectacular. Gil's world is coming totally unseamed. Braunbeck starts this novel in a weird way but then backs up to the mundane for so long you forget what the beginning was like. Eventually the menace reemerges only we're not sure it is a menace anymore. This all leads to a crazed ending that I still am not sure what it was about, but it was fun.Unlike "Graves" Braunbeck's prose goes a little down on the literary scale but he's trying to show things from the first person so the language has to stay in character for Gil.I really didn't know if this book was going to make it as a horror novel or just be an interesting novel with horror elements, but again Braunbeck has the end turning so berserk you'll marvel at how downhill things have come in just a short while. Braunbeck is good at taking the everyday and having it come apart in a totally weird way without making you say: "Oh, come on." These aren't just a few ghosts or werewolves prancing about.Good, fast, fun, thoughtful read.
—Randolph Carter
I read this book on a Saturday afternoon. I almost put the book down, feeling it as more depressing than anything else. Gil is so confused by his own memories, he doesn't truly know what's real and what is not. He's told the 'Keepers are coming' and boy is he ready for them, but not before he flashes back to several memories that play an intricate part to the story, Eventually, it all comes together for an explosive ending that you have to read!I enjoyed Keepers: The Cedar Hill Series, but some some portions of the book took to long. I found myself compelled to skip a paragraph or two, but eventually it jumps back on track. I was then eager to see how the story ended.
—A. Hunt
